Timepiece winding indicator



Oct. 18, 1955 F. MEYER 2,720,747

TIMEPIECE WINDING INDICATOR Filed May 20, 1953 FIG. I

FIG. 2 1 11 19 8"! 1215 10 15 13 F 17 45% E lNVENTOR m Fgednch He er W A (3M4 7 ATTORNEY United States Patent TIMEPIECE WINDING INDICATOR Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen, Switzerland, assignor to Felsa A. G., Grenchen, Switzerland Application May 20, 1953, Serial No. 356,265 Claims priority, application Switzerland April 1, 1953 6 Claims. (Cl. 58-85) This invention relates to a device for indicating the degree of tension of the main spring of watch or clock movements.

This device is characterized by a wheel having two toothings one of which meshes with a pinion driven by one of the members-barrel or barrel arborthe other toothing meshing with a planet-wheel whose holder is driven by the other of said members, said planet-wheel meshing on the other hand with a sun wheel driving the indicatory member.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention. Therein,

Fig. l is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view in an enlarged scale alone the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The arbor 1 of the barrel 2 is pivoted in the pillarplate 3 and in the barrel bridge 4. The barrel 2 is rigidly connected with a pinion 5 meshing with the toothing 6 of a double-toothed wheel 7. The second toothing 8 of said wheel 7 is formed sideways and comprises a projecting annulus which has been milled at fixed intervals. The wheel 7 is loosely mounted on a sleeve 9 which itself is freely fitted on a pin 10 fixed at one end to the pillar-plate 3.

On the barrel arbor 1 is keyed a pinion 11 meshing with a wheel 12 which is loosely mounted on the sleeve 9. The wheel 12 carries a pin 13 on which is pivoted a planet-wheel 14 which meshes on the one hand with the toothing 8 of the wheel 7 and on the other hand with a sun wheel 15 keyed on the sleeve 9. The upper end of the sleeve 9 is split and somewhat conical; owing to this arrangement, a wheel 16 is frictionally fitted on the end of the sleeve 9, the above-mentioned conicity maintaining the wheel 16 in the axial direction. The wheel 16 engages an indicatory wheel 17 pivoting at the center of the movement. A sector 18 of the wheel 17 is toothless and is formed by an arc of the addendum circle of the toothing.

It is worth noting that the lower end of the sleeve 9 is somewhat enlarged, so that the wheel 7 is held in the axial direction. Consequently, the movers 7, 13, 15, 12 and 16 are assembled on the sleeve 9 and form a block or unit therewith, this facilitating to a large extent the assembly of the device.

A dial-holder 19 is fixed to the pillar-plate by means of three screws 20. The member 19 also serves for maintaining in the axial direction on the pin 10 the abovementioned unit comprising the sleeve 9 and the movers 7, 13, 15, 12 and 16.

The device as shown and described operates as follows: Upon winding up the movement, the winding wheel 21 drives the arbor 1 and pinion 11. The latter rotates the wheel 12, and the planet-wheel 14, which rolls on the toothing 8 of the stationary wheel 7, causes the sun wheel 15 to rotate, this rotation being transmitted to the wheel 16 and to the indicatory wheel 17. The latter bears figures (number of hours for which the movement will run without winding up the main spring) and these figures are to a; be seen through a window of the dial (not shown). When the main spring is completely wound up, the sector 18 of the wheel 17 enters in contact with the wheel 16; the winding members can further operate, for instance under the influence of self-winding means, without the wheel 17 being driven, as the frictional arrangement of the wheel 16 on the sleeve 9 permits of a relative movement between both parts 9 and 16.

When the main spring is being unwound, the barrel 2 transmits its rotation to the pinion 5 and to the wheel 7. As the wheel 12 is now stationary, the planet-wheel 14 acts as a simple reversing gear and drives the sun wheel 15. The rotation of the latter is transmitted to the wheels 16 and 17, the wheel 17 being turned in the reverse direction as upon winding up the main spring.

The assembly of the device is very simple. Indeed, it is sufiicient to place the unit or set of the said movers on the pin 10 and the indicatory wheel 17 in the center of the movement; this wheel 17 can be put in place in any angular position. Owing to the frictional arrangement of the wheel 16 on the sleeve 9 and to the uncut sector 18 of the wheel 17, the latter will take automatically its exact position when the watch or clock movement has been completely wound up.

What I claim is:

1. A timepiece winding indicator comprising, in combination, a pillar-plate, a mainspring barrel, a barrel arbor rotatably supporting the barrel, a first pinion fixed to the barrel coaxially with the latter, a second pinion fixed to the barrel arbor, a pin fixed at one end to the pillarplate, a sleeve loosely mounted on the pin, a doubletoothed wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve, the first toothing of the double-toothed wheel meshing with the first pinion, a sun gear fixed to the sleeve, a second wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and meshing with the second pinion, a planet-gear with a single toothing carried by the second wheel and meshing simultaneously with the sun gear and with the second toothing of the doubletoothed wheel, an intermediate wheel frictionally mounted on the sleeve, an indicating wheel having teeth on only a portion of its periphery and in mesh with the intermediate wheel, the sleeve maintaining as a mover unit the double-toothed wheel, the sun gear, the second wheel with its planet-gear, and the intermediate wheel, and a plate fixed to the pillar-plate retaining the mover unit in position on the pin.

2. A timepiece winding indicator comprising, in combination, a pillar-plate, a mainspring barrel, a barrel arbor rotatably supporting the barrel, a first pinion fixed to the barrel coaxially with the latter, a second pinion fixed to the barrel arbor, a pin fixed at one end to the pillarplate, a sleeve loosely mounted on the pin, a doubletoothed wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve, the first toothing of the double-toothed wheel meshing with the first pinion, a sun gear fixed to the sleeve, a second wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and meshing with the sec ond pinion, a planet-gear with a single toothing carried by the second wheel and meshing simultaneously with the sun gear and with the second toothing of the doubletoothed wheel, an intermediate wheel frictionally mounted on the sleeve, and an indicating wheel having teeth on only a portion of its periphery and in mesh with the intermediate wheel, the sleeve maintaining as a unit the double-toothed wheel, the sun gear, the second wheel with its planet-gear, and the intermediate wheel.

3. A timepiece winding indicator comprising, in combination, a pillar-plate, a mainspring barrel, a barrel arbor rotatably supporting the barrel, a first pinion fixed to the barrel, a second pinion fixed to the barrel arbor, a pin fixed at one end to the pillar-plate, a sleeve loosely mounted on the pin, a double-toothed wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve, the first toothing of the double-toothed 3 wheel meshing with the first pinion, a sun gear fixed to the sleeve, a "second wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and meshing with the second pinion, a planet-gear with a single toothing carried by the second wheel and meshirr sihmltanebusly with the sun gear and with the see ed toothing or the double-toothed wheel, ah intermediate wheel frictiohally mounted on the sleevefahd an indieating wheel meshin with the intermediate wheel, the sleeve maintaining as a unit the double-toothed wheel the sun gear, the second Wheel with it's planet-gean'end the intermediate wheel. H

4. A time-piece windi'ng indicator comprising, in coinbination, a pillar-plate, 'a "mains nng barrel, a barrel arbor re't'atably su porting the b'ifr'rel, a first pinion "inked to the barrel, a second pinion fixed to the barrel 'arbor, a pin 'fix'ed to the pillar-plate, a sleeve l osely 'riio'n'nted on the pin, a define-toothed wheel l'o'osely mounted e the sleeve, the first toothing er the double-toothed wheel meshing with th'e fifs't P'inioh, a sun gear fiXed to the sleeve, a second wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and meshing with the second pinion, a planet-gear'with "asingle toothing carried by the second "wheel and meshing simultaneously with the sun gear and with the second toothing of the double-toothed wheel, ahd an indicating memher in operative connection with the sleeve, the s1eeve maintaining 'as a unit the d6ubletoothed wheel, the silt! gear, and the second wheel with its planetgear.

5. A timepiece Winding indicator comprising, in combination, a pillar-plate, a mainspring barrel, a barrel arbor 'rotatably supporting the barrel, -a first .pinion fixed to the barrel, a -secondjainion fiied to the barrel arbor,

a pin fixed to the pillar-plate, a sleeve loosely mounted "on the pin, a doubleto'othed wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve, the first toothing of the double-toothed wheel meshing with the first pinion, a sun gear fixed to the sleeve, a second wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and meshing with the second pinion, a planet-gear with a single toothing carried by the second wheel and meshing simultaneously with the sun gear and with the second toothing of the double-toothed wheel, and an indicating member in operative connection with the sleeve.

6. A timepiece winding indicator comprising, in combination, a pillar-plate, a mainspring barrel, a barrel arbor, a pin fixed to the pillar-plate, a sleeve loosely mounted on the pin, a double-toothed wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and driven by the barrel, a sun gear fixed to the sleeve, a second Wheel loosely mounted on the sleeve and driven by the barrel arbor, a planet-gear with a single toothing carried by the second wheel and meshing simultaneously with the sun gear and with the double-themed wheel, and an indicating member operatively connected with the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,256,715 Mazer Feb. 19, 1 9 18 FOREIGN PATENTS 284,1 3 7 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1 952 

